In England, five football clubs will have official poems

Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Luton Town and Portsmouth: these five historic English clubs will soon have an official poem under a new programme aimed at increasing literacy levels among young fans, writes The Guardian newspaper.

The project was conceived in response to “declining levels of writing” among young people, said the National Literacy Trust (NLT), a literacy charity in England that co-organises the initiative with Arts Council England (ACE). In a survey carried out in 2024, the charity found that only three in 10 children aged eight to 18 enjoy writing in their free time, with levels of enjoyment having fallen by 18.1 percentage points in the previous 14 years.

Football and poetry “share a common use of language to express devotion and this project is a fantastic opportunity to involve everyone in celebrating local culture, both in the classroom and on the terraces,” Darren Henley, ACE’s chief executive, told the British newspaper.

Each club will partner with “a local professional poet” who will lead writing workshops and other activities designed to inspire fans. In the end, each club will have an official poem that “will reflect the spirit and culture of local communities and can be displayed by the club to inspire others and reinforce local pride”. The poem will be shared widely by the club on match days, on social media and in the press, the project website says.

The five clubs chosen for the program are located in communities designated as “priority,” where “there has historically been a lack of investment in cultural opportunities for local people,” according to the NLT. The initiative kicked off in January and will run until the summer.

“Sometimes described as poetry in motion, football has a unique ability to connect people through a shared language and experience,” said Jim Sells, programme manager at NLT. “We know that sport can be a great motivator for inspiring reluctant or unmotivated children and young people to get involved in writing.”

“Without books and football, my life would be empty!” said David Swann, the poet who will work with Blackburn Rovers fans. Naz Knight, who was born and raised in Luton, will work with Luton Town FC fans, while Alan Barrett will work with Stoke City and Dan Simpson with Crystal Palace. The poet who will create the Portsmouth poem is yet to be announced.